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Raider

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Everything posted by Raider

  1. How much difference is there between these two speakers? How are they different? I would appreciate any input from somone who has actual experience, and could tell why you might choose one over the other?
  2. Just one more pair for the rear and you're set. heh heh. Looks great. Did you compare the RS52 and RS62? What do you mean you aimed them?
  3. Last night I was driving my 8-year-old daughter home from gymnastics. She often surprises me at how deeply she thinks things through, something I'm sure most parents will relate to. For whatever reason, out of the blue she asked me, "Daddy, did they design the Infiniti first, or the dealership?" I thought this pretty well summed up the HD-DVD and BluRay dilemma. Except apparently neither format has fully developed either the product or its distribution before bringing it to market.
  4. Just finished reading the article in the mag a few minutes ago. Realized about two paragraphs in that it had to be a Forum member. Congrats and nice article and great installation. Thanks for representing us well.
  5. Mixing speakers is sort of like mixing wine. The two flavors might conflict with each other, they might blend well, or they might be great. No way to find out except to try it.
  6. Welcome! I'm listening to RF82's as I type. We enjoy these more and more every day. My wife has enjoyed them as much or more than I have. I think they represent the highest value in the line. I'd be interested in hearing your impressions of the RB61's compared to the RF82's. I am considering a pair with a sub for my study.
  7. I would like to obtain some good software for analysis and design of my HT room. I have an all Mac network in my house, so I wondered what software might be available for Mac? Thanks
  8. I have four RF82's with an RC62 and just purchased an F112. Couldn't be happier. Room is about 2600 cubic feet, open on one end to a hall/stairway. The RT12d is a very good sub. But the Fathoms redefine the market. They are every bit as good as TheEAR indicates. I think for your size room the three top contenders would be the F113 (or a pair), the Klipsch THX, or if your room will accomodate it, the Danley. I found that I could get comparable discounts on both the Klipsch and the JL's. Don't let the MSRP of either scare you off.
  9. I have a very simple three way system with component mids and tweeters in the front doors only, and a single sub in the trunk. Eclipse CD Receiver. Sinfoni 120.4 amplifier biamping Dynaudio components. Sinfoni 150.2 amp driving a single JL Audio 12W7. Good advice from Frzninvt. Here's mine: Keep it as simple as possible. Don't scrimp on speakers; they will make more difference than anything else you do. Audition at length using your source material. Speaker placement can make as much difference as the speakers themselves; experiment for best imaging and soundstaging. Buy as much power as you can afford. Headroom is king in a noisy environment. Doubling the power only yields a 3db increase. Stay away from the big box stores. Do your homework on equipment at carsound.com and elitecaraudio.com. Both have sound-quality sections. A single sub in a sealed enclosure is the most forgiving and easiest to tune to the car. The shape can be manipulated to fit your car. There are a few good amp companies out there if you can't find some of the old school amps. Some of the newer ICE based digital amps are actually quite good too, especially in this environment. If you can find a good installer, they are worth their weight in gold. Ask to hear their car. That will tell you more than anything about them. What's your budget? What are your goals? What does the stock system not accomplish that you wish it would?
  10. Mas: I find your rationale solid and it bears out my experience as well. I know we are talking subwoffer ports here, but it brings up an interesting related issue. When I spoke to Klipsch tech support a few months ago comparing the Reference and Synergy, one of the issues was that the Synergy ports fire to the front and the Reference fire to the rear. They recommended that the RF83 be placed 18" from the wall behind it. I was just curious about what might be the reason for the difference between recommendations. Perhaps diffraction of higher frequencies, or other issues? Your thoughts and comments, as well as any contributions by Klipsch Tech Support would be appreciated. This may be a key issue for many trying to decide whether to buy the RF83 since the depth of the RF83 combined with the 18" recommendation would mean the speaker front would have to be be over three feet away from the wall behind it, and this might preclude their use in some smaller rooms of where this might interfere with the traffic flow in the room.
  11. When I was in high school in the early seventies (ahem) we went to see a popular band at the time called Uriah Heep. The leading act was some band nobody had ever heard of. This guy wailed on some of the best blues/rock guitar I had ever heard (and heard since for that matter) for an hour. We were amazed that a three-piece band could sound so full. The crowd booed the main act when they came on because Top had been so much better. I never get tired of hearing them. I have a "Best of ZZ Top" that has eighteen cuts on it and makes one of the best road trip CD's you could ask for. I have also used it for years to test an tweak subs, because it has some really, really low but musical bass material. I am amazed at all the new material in these recordings that has been revealed by my recently purchased Reference RF82's.
  12. I was reading about how Audyssey working with Alpine to develop their EQ for car audio, and noticed that Denon also uses Audyssey eq in their receivers. I also noticed that SVS was introducing a unit using Audyssey technology that is similar to Velodyne's SMS1, but it uses multiple measurement points which would seem to me to be a more practical application of EQ. How good is it, and how does it compare to YPAO from Yamaha. Thanks
  13. According to the specs above, the speakers are virtually identical, or if anything the less expensive RB61 is superior. :\ Your thread reminds me of this one... http://forums.klipsch.com/forums/thread/814977.aspx I don't understand why Klipsch, as a world-class company with world-class product, is reluctant to make comprehensive product data available with which to make more educated choices. Paul Klipsch sure wasn't shy about it.
  14. Another thing to note is that speaker response to increase in input power isn't necessarily linear. As more power is applied the voice coil heats up more and more. The resistance then changes, and distortion increases as well as heat soak increases. This is especially true as the speaker reaches it's maximum excursion. There is an interesting discussion of this principle here:
  15. Actually I didn't mean that they sound bright. I just meant that it can get too loud, uncomfortably so. Not bright, not colored, not distorted, just too loud for me. Interesting comment on the Denon nevertheless. I replaced an AVR-1803 with the Yamaha. (Directv installer put the PVR over the vents and the display apparently overheated and went out. Not sure if it is worth fixing. It still works, but I am "flying blind" as far as settings. Maybe I'll hook it up sometime and compare.) Thanks
  16. For Klipsch owners I'm preachin' to the choir... But if you are considering Klipsch as an alternative to most typical speakers, and especially very small HTIB type speakers, don't underestimate the significance of the efficiency of Klipsch speakers. I have four RF82's as mains and surrounds, and an RC62 as a center channel being driven by a Yamaha RX-V659 receiver. I find that a volume level of -20 db on this system is very loud, too loud for any prolonged listening. You can go louder, but it just gets uncomfortable; even then at extremely loud levels, I hear no distortion. By contrast, I have the same RX-V659 receiver powering a set of Definitive Technology ProCinema 60.6 speakers (their answer to Bose, and a very good one at that). I was surprised when I hooked up this system, because I had to approach 0 db to get a volume level that would be considered loud, and even then the sound is very compressed sounding compared to the Klipsch. It would take a lot more than the 95 watts per channel that the Yamaha provides to approach the volume of the Klipsch/Yamaha combination. The Klipsch speakers are very happy with this amount of power with plenty of headroom. Beyond just the sound pressure level though there are very tangible benefits to the Klipsch's efficiency. First are the lifelike dynamics that the additional headroom provides. In a world where most audio material is compressed to some degree, listening to Klipsch Reference speakers brings a new lifelike dynamic qulity to the music that instantly draws you into the audio material and makes you soon forget you are listening to speakers rather than to the original event. In fact it can often be startingly real. The headroom makes the HT experience very similar to what you experience in a theatre; no surprise given that Klipsch pro speakers are often used many theatres. But don't think that you have to listen to high sound pressure levels to appreciate the Reference speakers. Their efficiency makes them articulate at all volumes at which I Iisten. Even at very quiet levels I find them to be just as articulate as at moderate and high volumes. Its just that the excitement level goesup with the volume. Late at night with others asleep, I often listen at a level of -50 db on the Yamaha. Many speakers lose their essential signature at such low volumes. While it is hard to describe these differences, a good demo at your dealer will make these characteristics evident. In fact while I was looking, one of the most impressive demos I heard was at a Best Buy where a system of four F3's, a Sub12 and a C2 filled the expansive warehouse space with Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon, so much so that everyone in the store stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of the clear and distortion-free sound coming from the audio section. If you are researching a potential Klipsch purchase here, I encourage you to carefully consider the significance of efficiency in bringing life-like dynamics back to music as you compare Klipsch to its peer products.
  17. I recently purchased four RF82's for mains and surrounds, and an RF62. My room is 18' by 10' with a catherdral ceiling 8' at the sides, 10' in the center. It's a FROG as my 8 year old daughter calls it; a Family Room Over Garage. No way is the RF82/RC62 overkill if you have the room for them. They almost do not need a sub. We have been tickled to death with the system, and my wife has enjoyed them as much or more than I have, even though they ostensibly were a Christmas present for me. My very prejudiced view is that the RF82 is a sweet spot in the product line for both excellence and value. I drive mine with a Yamaha RX-V659 which has 95 watts per channel. I seldom listen higher than -20db on the receiver which is very loud for any prolonged listening. I have never heard distortion in these speakers no matter how loud they are. (By contrast, I have the same Yamaha receiver powering a set of Definitive Technology speakers in my son's room, and 0 db on his system just begins to be as loud, and definitely sounds more compressed as well.) I suspect your Elite has even more power, so you will likely have even more headroom. If you are currently using HTIB speakers you will be AMAZED at the the difference in efficiency and how much more lifelike they sound . The dynamics of this setup are incredible for both critical music listening and HT use. I also find the RF82/RC62 combination to provide a seamless front soundstage. Basically the speakers disappear and you quickly become involved with the material itself. I have been extremely pleased with the speakers, and how they have reconnected us with our love for music. I am very critical of speakers, but have been very happy and content with this system.
  18. I don't know if you have an HH Gregg nearby, but the last time I was in the one here, they had the Sub 12 at $407. If you buy it paired with an HD TV, you get an additional 10% off. BB and HHG are the only places I know of to buy the synergy line I know of here.
  19. I have narrowed my sub search to four possibilities. First is to build a Rythmik Audio 12" or 15" servo kit. I have read reviews, all favorable, of these but cannot audition them. Though they apparently give a very predictable result, I haven't had opportunity to hear them. Second is the Martin Logan Abyss. I have heard these and really like them, but I suspect the Rythmik might offer more articulation at a slightly lesser price, since the ML's aren't discounted more than 5% off of list here. Third is the RT12d which had good depth and output and adds the capability of the ARC circuit which is valuable, but raises the price point to double the first two alternatives. Fourth is the JL Audio F112, which I found to be really articulate with a lot of clarity and with exceptional attack and decay response. Unfortunately I was not able to audition the RT and F112 together. The street price of both the JL and the RT12d is basically the same. I briefly considered the F113 as well but the price point then would likely be into diminishing returns territory. I had actually also considered the Sub12, especially since a local dealer has them at $407 right now, but unfortunately the problems many are having with the Sub10 and 12 amps have caused me to eliminate this choice I am looking for articulation at low, moderate, and moderately loud outputs (up to about 100-105 db max, more typically 80-95 db), rather than extreme volume capability. I have about a 3500 cubic foot room, open on one side to a stairway and hall. I'm also one of those weird guys that thinks a subwoofer or speaker should faithfully reproduce any signal input, so I make no distinction between music and HT. I am using four RF82's and an RC62 for mains/surround/center. So...my choices seem to come down to either the Rythmik or Abyss, later adding a second unit if necessary. Or between a single RT12d or an F112. Any input or comparsion of these alternatives is appreciated, since Iwould like to nail this choice down very soon. Thanks
  20. I am down to the wire in choosing a sub (Rythmik, JL Audio F112, or Martin Logan Abysss) to use with my RF82/RC62 setup. I have a Yamaha RX-V659 receiver with YPAO room correction. I was wondering howeffective the YPAO is at correcting room nodes vs. the on-board correction such as what the F112 and the RT series subs have. Any experience?
  21. Of these choices, I would say the F3. The system will have better bass output than the RF10, and i prefer the F3 to the F2 because it presents a more open three dimensional soundstage. The F3 is a very underrated speaker, and is an exceptional value at its price point. It does a really good job in HT applications. btw, have you noticed how much we look alike?
  22. I have four RF82's and an RC62 which I am driving with a Yamaha RX-V659. I couldn't be more pleased with the sound. I notice no distortion up to and past the threshold of pain. I seldom listen more than -20db which is very loud by my standards. The efficiency of the Klipsch makes choice of receivers almost moot because most any modern receiver from $400 and up will operate well within the performance envelope of its amp section. Differences in sonic signatures between most of the better receivers will not be significant, but rather a matter of subtlety and nuance. The dynamic range of the Klipsch lends itself very well to both music and HT because it is capable of reproducing the dynamic range of the original signal due to its efficiency and resulting headroom. The result is often startling realism. What may be more of an issue is HDMI compatibility. HDMI is already on its third iteration, and there can be some compatibilty issues between equipment. A friend who does high end HT systems recommends the delay of the purchase of HDMI receivers as long as possible to allow the standardization process to stabilize. You may wish to check the receivers you are considering at AVForum, in the appropriate thread for that brand, for potential compatibilty issues with the equipment complement you have or are considering. I just read a review of a Samsung LED RPTV in Home Theatre magazine where the reviewer had compatibility issues with a Toshiba HiDef player, but not with the Samsung player. Most Hi Def TV's now have at least two HDMI inputs, so you can use a less costly receiver without HDMI switching and switch between HDMI sources at the TV. A fiber connection from the TV back to the receiver handles the audio. You can use a programable remote to coordinate the various components. This can be a lesser cost alternative than buying an HDMI receiver, and may be a better alternative for those who are happy with their existing amplification. Also HDMI switches are available for those who need more than two HDMI sources. Good luck. You will love your Klipsch set up.
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